SuperSport matches preview: Pick of the weekend, Chelsea vs Liverpool
The pick of the English Premier League matches this weekend is the fixture between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, September 20 to be broadcast live on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1 from 17:30 (CAT).
Other matches viewers will be glued to are for Saturday, September 19 between Manchester United v Crystal Palace and Arsenal v West Ham United both live on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1 from 18:30 and 21:00 respectively.
The catchy fixture on Monday will be Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City live on SuperSport Grandstand, SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1 from 21:15.
Liverpool completed a league ‘double’ over Chelsea last season and in the meeting last July, the Merseyside club beat the Blues 5-3 with goals from Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham amongst others.
Liverpool supporters have been concerned at their club’s relative lack of action in the transfer market — certainly compared to Chelsea, who have recruited heavily and brought in world-class talent such as Moroccan attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech, for example.
But manager Jurgen Klopp insists he prefers working with a smaller group of players.
“We cannot keep someone in the backyard and bring them up in the decisive moment. That will not help,” said the charismatic German ahead of the match.
“We will have solutions for that, we have young players. The size of the squad is not that important to me, the quality of the squad is very much so.”
Manchester United will open their campaign with a clash at home to Crystal Palace in the early-evening kick-off on Saturday, which will be the first chance for new Red Devils signing Donny van de Beek to have a taste of competitive English football.
“He is a complete player,” said Dutch legend Wesley Sneijder of van de Beek.
“I really like his running actions. He is someone who makes space, has a lot of depth and always looks for the right moments to go deep.
“He is always in the right place and always keeps playing football.”
Meanwhile, the Spanish La Liga sees the return to action for champions Real Madrid, who open the defence of their title with a match away to Real Sociedad at Sam Sebastian on the evening of Sunday 20 September.
After leading Los Blancos back to championship glory in 2019-20, manager Zinedine Zidane is being backed to continue his success with the capital club by veteran midfielder Toni Kroos.
“[Zidane] knows exactly what makes [great players] tick and what it’s like to be a Real Madrid player. He applies this knowledge superbly,” explained the German.
“He’s incredibly good at managing this group of stars. He meets every player at eye level, brings everyone on board and has everything around Real under control.
“And he is also very good technically. He’s the best coach you could ask for,” Kroos said.
Sociedad, meanwhile, will be leaning on the experience of midfielder David Silva, who recently joined the Basque club after 10 incredibly successful years at Manchester City.
“The team is playing some great football and I hope to add to that here. I hope to have some great years at the club,” said Silva. “I have high expectations in terms of the football we’ll be playing and I think we can compete for silverware.”
The headline match from Italy’s top flight this weekend sees champions Juventus open the defence of their title with a match at home to Sampdoria in the late kick-off on Sunday 20 September.
All eyes will be on new manager Andrea Pirlo, who replaced Maurizio Sarri at the head of the Bianconeri in the offseason.
Fellow Juventus legend Alessando Del Piero has backed Pirlo to be a success in what is his first senior coaching role: “I was very surprised because it’s very early for him to be in that position,” admitted ‘ADP’.
“I’m surprised because I thought Juve would go in a different way. This is a big challenge for everyone but the club is very strong and the team is very good and Andrea is a great guy.
“I don’t know his mind in terms of what he wants to do inside the pitch, but I know him personally so I believe he will be well prepared and ready to take this opportunity and to convert it into success.”
Another key game this weekend will give Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen the chance to make his competitive debut for Napoli when they face Parma on Sunday afternoon, having joined the club for a huge fee from Lille a few weeks back.
The Super Eagles player has been in red-hot form in recent friendlies, but Neapolitan manager Gennaro Gattuso wants even more once the season proper is underway.
“Osimhen is a quiet guy who has to work a lot. He has a lot of physicalities, but he doesn’t have to be satisfied,” the Napoli boss explained.
“The goals he scores right now don’t count for anything, but he fits in very well with the team. He jokes with everyone and makes himself loved.”
The full Premier League fixtures and broadcast are:
Saturday 19 September
13:30: Everton v West Bromwich Albion – SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
16:00: Leeds United v Fulham SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Football
18:30: Manchester United v Crystal Palace – SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
21:00: Arsenal v West Ham United – SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Sunday 20 September
13:00: Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur – SuperSport Premier League, Super Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Football
15:00: Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion – SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
17:30: Chelsea v Liverpool – SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
20:00: Leicester City v Burnley – SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Monday 21 September
19:00: Aston Villa v Sheffield United – SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
21:15: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City – SuperSport Grandstand, SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
La Liga fixtures:
Friday 18 September
21:00: Getafe v Osasuna – SuperSport LaLiga, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv LaLiga and SuperSport GOtv Football
Saturday 19 September
16:00: Villarreal v Eibar – SuperSport LaLiga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv LaLiga
21:00: Celta Vigo v Valencia – SuperSport LaLiga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv LaLiga
Sunday 20 September
16:00: Huesca v Cadiz – SuperSport LaLiga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv LaLiga
18:30: Granada v Deportivo Alaves – SuperSport LaLiga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv LaLiga
21:00: Real Sociedad v Real Madrid – SuperSport LaLiga, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv LaLiga and SuperSport GOtv Football
Monday 21 September
21:00: Real Betis v Real Valladolid – SuperSport LaLiga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv LaLiga
Serie A fixtures:
Saturday 19 September
18:00: Fiorentina v Torino – SuperSport Football, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv Select 1 and SuperSport GOtv Football
20:45: Hellas Verona v Roma – SuperSport Football, SuperSport Variety 3 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Sunday 20 September
12:30: Parma v Napoli – SuperSport Football, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport GOtv Select 1 and SuperSport GOtv Football
15:00: Genoa v Crotone – SuperSport Football, SuperSport Variety 3 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
18:00: Sassuolo v Cagliari – SuperSport Football, SuperSport Variety 3 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
20:45: Juventus v Sampdoria – SuperSport Football, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Monday 21 September
20:45: Milan v Bologna – SuperSport Football, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
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